Sorceline

Sorceline (US) #1

by Sylvia Douyé, Paola Antista (Illustrator), Ivanka Hahnenberger (Translator)

Welcome to the Island of Vorn, where mythical creatures roam free and only the brightest students are invited to study them. In Book 1 of this riveting new middle grade graphic novel series, a gifted young cryptozoologist-in-training must learn to tame powerful beasts—including her own inner demons.

For as long as she can remember, Sorceline has had a knack for the study of mythical creatures. Now a student at Professor Archibald Balzar’s prestigious school of cryptozoology, she’s eager to test her skills and earn a spot as one of Balzar’s apprentices.

But for all her knowledge of gorgons, vampires, and griffins, Sorceline is mystified by her fellow humans. While she excels in her studies, she quickly clashes with her classmates, revealing her fiery temper.

When one of her rivals suddenly disappears, Sorceline must set aside her anger and join the quest to find her. But the mystery only deepens, leading Sorceline on a journey far darker and more personal than she expected . . .

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Comics, Mystery, Childrens, Young Adult

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 18, 2018

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little bit of magic; a little bit of adventure, a little too much love for magical creatures and a little bit of drama. I absolutely adore the presentation of the graphic novel. The artstyle is everything!

The story is quite interesting as it involves a little bit of mystery as well.

Perfect for the target audience (middle grades), I feel it's a good start for those who want to start reading graphic novels.

Engaging and fun, this one is going to make a rather adventurous reading session.

The highlight for me is the character dynamics.

Go for this one. It's fun and entertaining.

Thank you, Andrews McMeel, for the advance reading copy.

[Geoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art was gorgeous and there were some interesting worldbuilding threads but the plot was way too disjointed, the characters were somewhat cardboard cutouts, the twists were unconvincing, and there was a bit to much reliance on "let]s just not talk to each other." the author is lampshading the "it was all a dream" trope a bit too hard and it will be very disappointing if this goes that direction in the next volume.

**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminded me of a mix of Harry Potter and Fantastic beasts and where to find them 👌🏻

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was meh, the illustrations however were beautiful. So story 3, artwork 4. There's a special island named Vorn where people go to learn the art of healing creatures but not just any creatures, cryptids. That's right baby, cryptozoology! We follow Sorceline, newest student arrival, unfortunately as soon as she gets there, weird phenomena occur. What follows is sabotage, omens, danger & cryptids acting outside of their nature. I liked the creatures storyline but the characters acted more like kindergartners than the young teens they were supposed to portray.

[mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the Island of Vorn, Sorceline is attending the school of cryptozoology. She has a gift for mythical creatures. Professor Archibald Balzar will choose an apprentice among the best students, and all children would like to earn this post.

Sorceline is a lovely middle-grade fantasy graphic novel. It seems like a mix of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts. So if you like those two series, you could love this too. Illustrations are gorgeous with beautiful colors and the kind that would appeal to the young.

This graphic novel is volume 1 (of 4). I didn’t realize that when I started reading it. The graphic novel ends quite abruptly, and it has an open ending. This was a bit frustrating because, as I understand, volume two (in english) is not available yet, and we don’t know when it will be. I would have to read on for a better rating and review, but what I’ve seen so far looks very promising.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review, and all opinions are my own.

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story centers around a magical school that specializes on learning about magical creatures. Imagine if the Harry Potter series focused only on Hagrid's classes, except with a strong emphasis on the medical care of magical creatures. That's basically what this is. The art is beautiful, but the story is a bit choppy. This is a translated work, so perhaps something is lost in the translation from the original French dialogue.

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sorceline’s apprenticeship with Professor Balzar is just a teensy bit more interesting than anything you’ve got planned for summer. She’s on the Isle of Vorn to study cryptozoology.

“It’s the study of cryptids: amazing creatures that most humans don’t think exist.”

She and her fellow students will be learning how to heal magical creatures and one of them, the best one (nothing like some healthy competition), will become the Professor’s assistant. And, boy, does he need one.



In a world where unicorns, vampires, gorgons and zombie pixies all exist, there’s plenty of healing to be done. There’s also time for some mysterious goings on. Students are disappearing and Sorceline, who somehow has the ability to identify creatures simply by looking at them, thinks it’s all her fault.

“Don’t ever doubt your incredible gifts, Sorceline!”

Translated from French, this graphic novel combines the first three volumes of Sorceline’s story. I really enjoyed the world building. The story itself felt disjointed at times but, because I was so busy drooling over the pictures, I didn’t really mind. Paola Antista’s illustrations are absolutely incredible, particularly those that showcase the scenery.



Beware the cliffhanger. I have so many questions that are demanding answers so will be travelling back to the Isle of Vorn as soon as possible.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic novel. I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.

Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I was just rating the artwork, I would give this 5 stars all day long. Sadly, I can't do that. I wanted to love this more than I did. All of the ingredients were there for this to be a tale that I could properly fall into, but sadly it left me feeling disappointed.
The premise of this book sees a young girl called Sorceline enrolling on a course to study mythical creatures on the mysterious island of Vorn. Hoping to impress her new professor, things take a turn when one of the other students disappears. From here, Sorceline is going to find out more than she bargained for, when she first arrived.
For me, the issue with this book was the writing. There were times when the story seemed to jump from one scene, to another without much explanation of what was going on. This made the tale feel very disjointed. At the start of the book, I wasn't even very sure of the other students' names, so trying to work out who was being spoken about could be difficult. And the way that some of the cells were organised with the speech marks, meant that there were even times when it wasn't immediately obvious who was speaking. I don't understand why this happened with this book, as I have read quite a few comics and graphic novels, and this isn't really something that I have stumbled across before. But, for me, it became the reason that I just didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped.
I'm now in two minds about whether or not I will read the next instalment. On the one hand, the artwork is stunning. But, on the other, the story could have been executed much better.

[Lata · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Sorceline” has gorgeous illustrations. I really got the sense of that Vorn was a magical place. The story, however, feels disjointed, and the characters lack depth. Also, the mystery of who was transforming the kids was not particularly interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well the art is great at least. And that's all I'd like to say

[Jul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edit: it doesn’t sit right to keep it as a 4 star on Goodreads; changing it to 3 stars, with the realistic rating sitting around ~3.5

Cute read. Can't say it kept me super engaged, but it was an okay read. The fourth star was added purely because of the ending; gave something extra to the story. A twist I didn't necessarily see coming, but also one I wasn't theorizing (so that may be why it caught me off guard).

I did really enjoy the fantasy-based setting. And the art was quite pretty. Overall 3.75 stars.

[Ксенія Шпак · Rating 5 out of 5]

Читала українською, але нема нашого видання на Гудрідз.
Це історія про лічінок Ньюта Скамандера - малі вчаться на чарівних зоологів чи ветеринарів. Сама історія доволі передбачувана, бо розрахована явно не на мій вік, але дуже деталізований малюнок з багатими фонами і моїм улюбленим динамічним лАйном. Постійно думала, що то ж можна кукухою поїхати, поки відмалюєш все це.

[C Reads Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was so cute and weird! Super duper fast read with stunningly gorgeous art, great characters and a weird, twisty plotline.

This is actually only the second graphic novel I've read in my life but I was drawn in by the beautiful cover art and I'm so glad I was. We follow a group of kids at a magic school on some mysterious island absolutely teeming with magical creatures. Kids soon go missing, magical creatures start getting hurt, and nothing is really what it seems.

I think there are four other Sorceline books in French and I really hope the rest get translated because I'd love to continue reading Sorceline's story!

[Krysta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, though I found the font a bit difficult to read. Sometimes it seemed like there were gaps in the plot, and characters were advancing theories that were unsupported or seemed to come from nowhere.

[Marion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was super excited to read this graphic novel. I love fantastical animals and the idea of a school for the care of magical creatures fascinates me. It always has a magical, science-y feel to it that sparks fascination and wonder in me.

First of all, I wanna say that Paola Antista's art is absolutely gorgeous. The world design and the creatures, the colors, everything gives this story a very enchanting and mysterious feel. The cover alone makes me want to stare at it forever and discover every tiny detail.

The characters are interesting and each has a special personality trait. While Sorceline is inquisitive and has a special instinct for cryptids, her new friend Willa is curious and a bit pushy. Tara is overly ambitious and a bit of a brat and Madame S. is not so secretly a vampire.

I loved the whole idea behind this story. Not only is it full of magical creatures that need treatment and fascinating school lessons - seriously, if we had that in school, everyone of us would have yearned to go to school every Sunday evening - there is also a mystery afoot that needs solving. Nothing is like it seems to be.

Unfortunately, I also thought that the plot was a bit confusing. While there is this great mystery of disappearances and attacks, sometimes a storyline or scene just seems to break off. I don't think it was a fault in my arc though. The story just shifts to the next scene and I was left feeling a bit behind, confused and with a "wait, what just happened?" question mark hanging over my head. Some things are just not explained enough. I hope this gets resolved and a bit streamlined in the next part of the series because by the end I was feeling a bit frustrated.

All in all, I thought that this graphic novel is absolutely gorgeous and I loved to learn about the creatures and the characters. The mystery was gripping and engaging and with a little editing or expansion this story could be really great.

[Ophelia 💛 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only critique is that I wish it was longer and this more detailed!
The art is so beautiful and it’s full of so many whimsical creatures I just loved it 🧡

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh how I wanted to love this graphic novel. It is the perfect premise; magic, mythical creatures, curses, and just the right amount of creepiness plus some of the most amazing illustrations I have seen in a graphic novel. What's not to love right? Sigh. Unfortunately, so much.

While one is completely enchanted by the illustrations, the story is severely lacking. You don't feel any connection to any of the characters, the story is extremely disjointed and chaotic and not even remotely fleshed out. It just bops from one thing to another and acts like we should already know what is going on when we are all still pretty clueless. Add in that it ends on a freaking cliffhanger and it became a really disappointing read for me. Even wanting to know how it ends and the knowledge of amazing illustrations will entice me to read the next one - this was just way too jumbled for my liking.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sylvia Douya, Paola Antista - Illustrator, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[queenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 stars
★★★★★

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review.

Okay. I never expected to love this as much as I just did.

Sorceline is the story about a girl of the same name, studying cryptozoology—the study of mythical creatures. This book really delves into magical creatures, friends and family. I honestly did not expect any of this, but god, I loved it.

It's a perfect blend of mystery, magic and love. I'm very sure the target audience would enjoy this book, since it's a complete win-win. I really loved the mysterious aspects of the story, the plot twists (though I saw the end coming) and overall, enjoyed it!

Definitely would recommend this to everyone.

[Kathreadsall · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art in this middle grade graphic novel is beautiful.

However, the story is confusing and the twists just don't really make sense. Also, the adult figures in this book just really don't seem to care about the children in their care. Maybe actual middle graders will just see this as an adventure story, but for me the plot had too many holes and not enough answers. And to see something terrible happen, and then the next everyone just keeps going was wierd and didn't make any sense.

So this was a hard pass for me, but again the art was very beautiful, and if the story doesn't bother you, then go for it?

[Keisha | A Book Like You · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 stars

LIKES
🎨 Stunning illustrations
🧚‍♀️ Imaginitive magical creatures
🪄 Magical School for learning cryptozoology
🐉 Hints of Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them/ Harry Potter
💛 Main Character I’m excited to get to know more

This was such an incredible middle grade fantasy graphic novel! I am so excited to for more of the series to be translated. That cliff hanger though! ❤️

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel has stunning art with really lush scenes and vivid colours. I also enjoyed the story overall even though some parts could have been smoother. The world-building and creatures are fascinating despite all the cramming of information in under 150 pages.

What really unnerved me was how small the text and each frame was, making everything very hard to read. Not the most pleasant experience when you have to strain your eyes so much. Such a shame considering the solid plot and gorgeous illustrations. Couldn't they have made a bigger book with more pages instead of squeezing everything together?

Loved the ending nevertheless and good thing I have the next book right on hand!

[Raquel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcome to the gloomy and super scary Island of Vorn, where mythical creatures roam free and only the brightest students are invited to study. Our main character, Sorceline, has just arrived for a summer apprenticeship with the zoologist Archibald Balzar. She wants to study cryptozoology, meaning amazing creatures most humans don't think exist, like elves, fairies, unicorns and dragons. But she has some competition: other kids who dream of becoming specialists in legendary creatures.

To become Balzar’s assistant, Sorceline must follow a few rules and learn to tame powerful beasts—including her own inner demons. Unfortunately, she doesn't think about the impact of her words very often. And, when strange things happen, she might be the one responsible. She needs to control her fiery temper and search for answers, even if they are far darker and more personal than she expected.

The artwork is delightful (from colours to perspectives), but I think the story is not well executed, even though there was plenty of misdirection to keep me intrigued. There’s so much going on that’s hard to follow, and sometimes the jumps between scenes feel slightly disjointed. Besides that, I obviously enjoy the concept and read the book in less than three hours. I’m curious about what’s next, especially because of the unexpected cliffhanger, but I hope the bickering between characters is over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anche oggi sono qui di parlarvi di un'altra bellissima opera firmata Astra.
Sorceline è una serie per ragazzi, di poche pagine, che vi farà passare un'oretta in serenità e col sorriso.
La nostra protagonista è per l'appunto la giovane Sorceline, che un giorno vince uno stage estivo in criptozoologia, sull’isola di Varn, ovvero la scienza che studia i criptidi: animali mitici e leggendari.
Sull'isola la nostra protagonista farà la conoscenza di tante altre giovani menti con la sua stessa passione e intente a compiere il suo stesso cammino. Ma non tutto è sempre e solo rose e fiori, e presto il nostro gruppo di amici si ritroverà ad avere a che fare con qualcosa di molto più grande di loro.
　
" Un giorno sarò fantasticologa! "
　
Con una buona dose di giallo misto al gotico fantasy, questa serie si preannuncia già un volume adatto a tutte le età e di sicuro un'ottima lettura nonostante la sua semplicità e a volte poca attenzione ad alcuni dettagli.
Le illustrazioni sono uno spettacolo per gli occhi, così belle che sono rimasta incantata per minuti e minuti ad osservare ogni dettaglio e colorazione.
Lo consiglio assolutamente a tutti gli amanti del genere.

[Sirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sorceline arrives at the Isle of Vorn to begin her apprenticeship and become a magical assistant. The competition is fierce amongst the six hopefuls, but it gets easier as some of them begin turning to glass. Sorceline and her friends must figure out what's going on before this can turn into any more of a disaster, but mythical creatures always need aid, and the work never ends.

Yes, this had an unresolved ending (a cliffhanger, if you will), but there is so much going on that I barely noticed. The artwork is beautiful, the characters charming, the setting fascinating, and the twisty plots compelling. It's just the right amount of spooky and magical, perfect for the autumn season.

[Büşra Tekin · Rating 4 out of 5]

İlk iki cilt için yorumlarım şu şekilde:

• bir yetişkin kurgusu değilde daha gençlere yönelik, ortaokul çağına yönelik bir seri gibi düşünülürse yüksek puan verilebilir
• konusu tahmin edilebilir, şaşırtıcı değil ama çok akıcı
• çizimleri çok güzel ve bence sevimli
• kitabın konusu: fantastik hayvanlarla çalışmak isteyen ve bu hayvanlarla ilgilenen bir kızın üzerine odaklanıyor. Ana karakterimiz ola Sorceline hem stajda bu işin inceliklerini öğreniyor hem de kendi ile ilgili sırlar keşfediyor
• özellikle Harry Potter serisini ve fantastik Canavarlar serisini seven genç kitlenin ilgisini çekeceğini düşünüyorum 👌🏻

Çokça sevgiler !

[Tara Selby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Charlie - disableddaydreamer | itsbarbieparis (looking for mutuals) · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun supernatural characters and beautiful art

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorceline, written by Sylvia Douyé and illustrated by Paola Antista, is a middle grade graphic novel that is the first in a series. Welcome to the Island of Vorn, where mythical creatures roam free and only the brightest students are invited to study them. For as long as she can remember, Sorceline has had a knack for the study of mythical creatures. Now a student at Professor Archibald Balzar’s prestigious school of cryptozoology, she’s eager to test her skills and earn a spot as one of Balzar’s apprentices. But for all her knowledge of gorgons, vampires, and griffins, Sorceline is mystified by her fellow humans. While she excels in her studies, she quickly clashes with her classmates, revealing her fiery temper. When one of her rivals suddenly disappears, Sorceline must set aside her anger and join the quest to find her. But the mystery only deepens, leading Sorceline on a journey far darker and more personal than she expected.

Sorceline is a beautifully drawn graphic novel with some fun twists and turns, layers of mystery, and characters with potential for great growth and challenges. I enjoyed the story on several levels. First off the art work is wonderful, and I thought the use of cursive writing for Soceline's thoughts was very well done, but might throw some readers that have had less exposure to it. I thought the school themes of friendship and rivalry, and relationships in general was well done, but left many loose threads that will need to be looked at again in upcoming volumes. I liked Sorceline's personal journey of trying to figure out the mysteries surrounding her, and her own story and skills. II did think there could have been a bit more character development and world building, just a bit more set up, but I think it all still came together well and I trust there will be some questions answered along the way. thought everything was well balanced and highly engaging. I was left wanting more, and will be on the look out for future volumes.

Sorceline is a stunning read, both in artwork and story. I think many readers middle grade and older will greatly enjoy it.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sorceline is a beautiful graphic novel translated into English from its original French. I’ve heard booksellers wax poetic about French graphic novels and I can see why. Sorceline is divine. Perfect for middle grade readers, and older teens will also enjoy this story.

Enter a magical school that will delight fans of Harry Potter and meet magical creatures that are at once familiar and also delightfully fresh and new and also slightly scary.

Sorceline is starting at Professor Archibald Balzar’s prestigious school of cryptozoology. Sorceline has always been good at identifying creatures but she will be tested as their lessons bring up some questions about Sorceline’s own identity and things get really serious when her classmates start disappearing.

There were points in the book that I didn’t quite understand what was happening or I needed to go back and reread panels, thinking I had missed something. But that’s just part of the storytelling. We readers know as much as the characters and secrets abound. Slowly, we piece things together and everything is not as we first expected. The last part of the book introduced a massive twist and then it ENDED!! I was desperately flicking hoping there was one more page!! Luckily there are more in the series. I might need to get my hands on the French versions because I need to continue reading this series as soon as possible.

This is going to be such a hit with my students. It’s going to delight readers who love magic and fantasy, entrance readers who love graphic novels with rich, brightly coloured illustrations and hook readers who love stories with strong characters, intrigue and a touch of romance and mystery.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library

[dreaam.0n · Rating 4 out of 5]

Première journée de pluie depuis UN BAIL, il est temps de sortir les BD aux couleurs automnales (MDR genre j’ai attendu la pluie pour ça 🙄).
Et alors là, avec Sorceline, on est totalement dans le thème : Sorceline fait un stage de cryptozoologie, sur l’île de Vern, accompagnée d’autres étudiants comme elle. Ça ressemble beaucoup à une école de vétérinaires magiques en gros.
Bon évidemment, ça va très vite puisque c’est une BD de 50 pages, mais l’histoire est très chouette, entre disparitions, personnages mystérieux et notre héroïne qui a l’air d’être différente des autres (sinon ça serait pas l’héroïne on connaît).

J’ai très très hâte de lire la suite!